Coach Brandon Mattingly (“B”) enters his fifth season as an assistant coach with Asbury University baseball. He has been the pitching coach all five seasons, as well as being one of the premier recruiters in the region.
In his four seasons with the Asbury pitching staff the standards and the success rate have consistently risen. In 2019, Asbury’s pitching staff set a program record with a 4.28 team ERA for the season, good enough for 34th in the NAIA. Subsequently, starting pitchers Will McDonald and Alec Lush were named 2nd-Team All-River States’ Conference performers. In 2020, Asbury’s pitching staff again set a program record with a 2.47 team ERA for the season. This was the 2nd best team ERA for any pitching staff in the NAIA. They also held the 9th best opponent batting average for a pitching staff in America at .222. Additionally, Will McDonald posted a 1.08 Individual ERA, good for 15th in the NAIA. Alec Lush posted a 1.57 Individual ERA, good for 30th in the NAIA. All (3) of Asbury’s conference starters ranked in the top (6) of individual ERA in the River States Conference. Will McDonald ranked 1st with his 1.08 ERA, Alec Lush ranked 2nd with his 1.57 ERA, and Tyler Morrison ranked 6th with his 3.00 ERA. McDonald and Lush both also ranked in the top (7) in opponent batting average, and number of strikeouts.
In 2019, Asbury University made it’s first trip to the River States Conference Tournament (under the new limited format), running off a 15-6 record to close the season. The 2019 success earned Asbury Head Coach Manny Cervantes the River States Conference Coach of the Year. In addition, multiple players Mattingly recruited were awarded with post-season recognition. Trevor Campbell, Asbury SS, was awarded 1st Team All-River States Conference, and became the first Asbury baseball player to win Conference Freshman of the Year. Paul Haupt, Asbury 1B/DH, was also awarded 1st Team All-River States Conference.
Additionally, Asbury has had multiple pitchers earn recognition through the Conference Player of the Week award. Former Asbury starter Logan Reitter (2018, 1 time), Will McDonald (2018 & 2019, 2 times), and Alec Lush (2020, 1 time) have all been awarded River State’s Conference Player of the Week.
2020 was proving to be a continuation of that success with Asbury coming out of the gates playing good baseball to the tune of a 14-4 record.
Mattingly is also heading into his 4th season as the assistant coach / pitching coach for the Henderson Flash of the Ohio Valley Collegiate League (a wood bat summer league). The pitching staff for the Flash has had noticeable success as well. Asbury alumni Christian Beckley led the OVL in strikeouts in the Flash’ inaugural 2017 season. While in Henderson, the Flash have had 9 pitchers recognized as All Stars, and have the back-to-back individual ERA leaders. Braden White of the Flash led the OVL in the 2018 season, posting a 1.58 ERA. Jared Hart of the Flash led the OVL in the 2019 season, posting a 1.52 ERA. Hart was additionally named the Pitcher of the Year in the League. In 2019, the Henderson Flash won the Eastern Division Championship with an overall record of 25-14. They finished the season on a 19-4 run to come from behind and win the organization it’s first championship.
Mattingly has also overseen the development of several potential draft arms. Former Henderson Flash pitcher Andy Samuelson was drafted in the 12th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Additionally, there are multiple arms expected to be selected in the upcoming 2021 and 2022 drafts from the Henderson Flash and Asbury Eagles pitching staffs.
Mattingly himself was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where he resides to this day. He is a graduate of Saint Xavier High School, and attended both Purdue University and the University of Louisville. He is a 2009 inductee of the Phi Theta Kappa Academic Honor Society, and a 2013 nominee for the Invisible Children Fourth Estate Leadership Summit. He is an active member of the community in support of local organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, and Organize for Action.
2017 Asbury Team ERA: 6.68 (Record: 18-35)
2018 Asbury Team ERA: 5.78 (Record: 20-22)
2019 Asbury Team ERA: 4.28 (Record: 24-22)
2020 Asbury Team ERA: 2.47 (Record: 14-4)
